A/N: Wow – thank you to my reviewers for such encouraging feedback. I'm glad that this story is interesting to a few of you – it makes the burning of the candle at both ends worth it. Also, I noted when I was uploading that it keeps changing my formatting so that the telepathic thoughts are surrounded by one set of colons on each end instead of a pair (e.g. :example:).
Icantthinkofafnick: I am so completely humbled by your comments that I'm speechless. Literally.
Sparkling Cherries: Writing 'action' sequences is one of the objectives I've set myself for this story – so rest assured, you'll get them!
Fanastygirl72: I wish I could type faster, honestly!
ChrisBianca: I'm glad you thought it was worth the wait. I can only hope that you will continue to think so as this story progresses.
Girl-with-the-green-eyes: I've always maintained the attitude that reviews are like gifts – I don't expect them, but when I do get them they bring me much happiness. So thank YOU!
Shadow Dark Night: I'm not sure if I can deliver, but I will promise to do my utmost.
Providence
Chapter 4
I remember when Darryl first introduced me to Chris. To someone who had been a cop, I had to scoff at the sight of the skinny kid, who looked, on first sight, barely old enough to drink, let alone stand against the most powerful being in the world. I had joined the Resistance out of respect for Darryl; once upon a time, we'd been partners before…I trusted him with my life. This kid? With the slouching shoulders, quiet personality and soft voice? I didn't think he could find his way out of a paper bag, let alone lead thousands of people against Wyatt and his army of demons. How quickly my impression of him would change.
– from the memoirs of Leslie St. Claire
He slipped into the classroom, trying to be as unobtrusive as possible so as not to disturb the class. There were at least two dozen or so children there. The ages ranged from nine or ten to fourteen or fifteen. At the head of the classroom, the teacher was lecturing her young class, nodding imperceptibly at Chris as he stood self-consciously at the back of the room.
"All right, so that's chapter 12 for homework tonight. And I see our guest speaker for today has just shown up," Sheila grinned, gesturing to the back of the classroom. "Why don't we give him a warm greeting children, and maybe he'll come up here and answer some of your questions."
"Hello Sheila," Chris smiled nervously as the students swiveled in their seats to stare wide eyed at the young man. "Hello gang."
"Hello," a chorus of young voices greeted his ears. Inwardly cringing at Sheila's outstretched hand, Chris reluctantly made his way to the front of the classroom. Why did I agree to this again? Chris wondered to himself.
Noticing his discomfort, Sheila smiled at him in amusement and took his hand, pulling him to her side. "Well, now that you're here, why don't we start? Class, would someone like to tell Chris what we've been learning today so he knows why we've asked him here?"
Raising his hand, a small boy of about ten volunteered. Fair-haired, his brown eyes full of gravity, he was the only one to volunteer amongst his peers. Sheila nodded indulgently.
"Go ahead, Daniel."
"We've been learning about the Resistance and the scouts. Mrs. Morris wants us to understand what being part of the Resistance really means; not from the hero tales we hear in the mess hall, but what everyone really does," Daniel's young voice filled the room.
"Good answer, Daniel," Looking askance at Chris, Sheila explained, "Both of Daniel's parents are part of the scouts."
Nodding, Chris perched himself casually on Sheila's desk at the front. "Well, maybe I'd better find out what you guys know before we go any further. Since Daniel's got both his parents as part of our scouts, let's start with him. Daniel, can you tell me what exactly do 'scouts' do?"
Daniel's brow furrowed in thought. "Ummmm – they make sure we're safe," he finally replied.
Chris nodded. "And how do they do that?"
"Uh – they work in teams and make sure the areas around our home are demon free. They also search for food to bring back to everyone. And they file 'reports.' My mom is always complaining about all the 'paperwork' they have. They said there's so much paperwork they're more in danger from papercuts than demons." The class erupted into giggles. "Sorry, sir."
Chris grinned. "Please don't call me 'sir.' I'm feeling old enough as it is. Call me Chris, okay?" Daniel and the other kids shyly nodded. "And Daniel's right. They do have a lot of paperwork. Can anyone tell me why?"
All the kids shook their heads.
"Well – they have to report on what they see out there so that the Council knows the true condition of what exactly is going on up world. They act as our eyes and ears, helping us stay one step ahead of the demons." He pointed at one of the boys at the back who had his hand up, "I'm sorry, I don't know your name."
The boy piped up. "It's Drake. They also do whatever needs to be done so that we're all safe. They risk everything for that, for the safety of our home and for us."
"Exactly," Chris made eye contact with each student in the classroom. "And that is why they are so vitally important to the Resistance. I won't lie to you – it's probably the most dangerous role we have in the Resistance. Being a scout is a tough job – yes, everyone on base looks up to them, but there is no harder job in the Resistance than that of a scout. There aren't enough of them and they get spread thin all the time. And more often than not, scouts are put in the front line of a lot of dangerous situations. It's work that is both dull and dangerous, if not one then the other. Scouts carry out missions whenever necessary – not when it's convenient for them. It's a tough calling and it's a wonder to me that anyone would want the job. But they're a good bunch…the best."
Chris' eyes clouded briefly, "And the better you are at your job, the more likely you'll be asked to take on the more risky missions. Sheila's told me that most of you here today want to follow in your parent's footsteps as scouts for the Resistance. And I appreciate it. But I want you to realize it's not all guts and glory. It's a life of sacrifices – you'll have very little time for yourself. I want you to think about this really hard – chances are if you decide you want to become a scout, you will die doing your duty. And probably alone. Does that frighten you?"
One of the older students, a girl, stood up. "Yes. Yes, it does. Only an idiot wouldn't be afraid. My sister thinks I'm crazy for thinking about joining the scouts. My uncle was a scout. He didn't come back from his last mission. So I know there's consequences. But – but maybe it's not about wanting. It's about needing. I need to join the scouts. I can't sit back and let demons overrun my world, my home. I…I just know I have to be a part of this, that I have to protect my home and this is the only way I know how."
Chris regarded the young girl thoughtfully, who was staring back at him, almost defiantly. "I know."
She seemingly deflated at Chris' soft tone, and sat back down abruptly with a thump.
Another hand raised, "Sir – uh, I mean Chris…?"
Chris smiled gently at the student, a twelve-year-old boy with bright blue eyes sitting near the front with a striped shirt, "Yes?"
"Mrs. Morris said you were the leader of the Resistance," The boy spoke hesitantly, "What does that mean, exactly?"
"Very good question," Chris pondered his response. "And to be perfectly honest, I'm not sure what it means, either. I can tell you that I feel a great responsibility to all of you and your families, for your safety and for your future." He threw a helpless look in Sheila's direction, "And I can promise you that there isn't a day that goes by that that isn't my number one priority."
Taking pity on Chris, Sheila decided to put a stop to the questions, "All right, class. That's it for today. Let's thank Chris for stopping by and speaking with us. Class dismissed."
Delighted, the children hastily scrambled out of their chairs, practically running for the door. Few of the children remembered to toss out their goodbyes as they rushed past the adults to freedom.
"Thanks!"
"Thank you!"
"Bye, Mrs. Morris! Bye, Chris!"
Shaking her head in amusement, Sheila called out after the students, "I'll see you all tomorrow at 9am sharp!"
A couple of groans from the hallway drifted back into the class indicating that the children had indeed heard her. Chuckling, Sheila turned back to her young friend, whom she thought of as practically another son, "Thanks for making the time to stop by, Chris. The kids really appreciate it."
Chris shrugged. "Your welcome. I just hope they all really think hard about what they're getting themselves into. What am I thinking?" Chris ran his hand through his hair agitatedly. "How the hell would they even begin to understand what they're signing up for? Christ – they're still kids. They don't see the danger at that age. All they see is the adventure."
"Did you?" Sheila pointed out.
Shooting his friend a weary look, "No. But that's different. I had the Charmed Ones protecting me."
Sheila sighed sympathetically. "I wish we didn't but we need those kids, Chris. If the war doesn't end soon, they will be exposed to the war sooner or later."
"I hate it. I hate it…I hate this war…I hate that we have to push these kids into becoming miniature adults…I hate that they're stuck underground learning survival skills when they should be outside playing. I hate that we need to even consider training them because we don't think the war will end in their lifetime. I hate this, Sheila," Chris swore, passionately. "I really hate this."
Putting her hand on his arm, she tried to placate Chris. She could feel the tension in his body and decided she should change the topic, "Darryl tells me you're heading up the recon mission tonight."
Chris winced at the slightly accusatory tone Sheila's statement conveyed. "Not you too. I don't need this right now. I have to go, okay?"
Looking into his eyes, Sheila saw the tired but firm resolution and knew she wouldn't be able to persuade him otherwise. "You're going to have to start delegating, Chris. You don't have time to carry out these missions yourself all the time. Other things are going to start to suffer."
Hearing the wisdom in his friend's words, Chris nodded reluctantly. "You're right. And I know that. And I will start to delegate more. I promise. But I can't. Not just yet. We're short on scouts right now. Maybe once we've got the mortals on board and the resource pressure starts lightening up…"
Sheila's mouth quirked as Chris' voice trailed off, "I'm going to hold you to that, you know?"
Chris returned Sheila's small smile with one of his own, "I know. Believe me, I know." Glancing at the clock on the wall, Chris said regretfully, "I've got to get going. We're moving out soon."
Gripping his arm tightly, Sheila leaned forward to press a quick peck on his right cheek, "You be safe, you hear?"
Returning the quick embrace, Chris smiled, "Always. See you when I get back?" Squeezing Sheila's arm reassuringly, he headed towards the door of the classroom.
She watched him walk away, giving him a small wave as he glanced one last time over his shoulder before ducking out the doorway.
Even when he had disappeared from her sight she stood there frozen, staring at the door. She'd been feeling unsettled lately…uneasy. Feeling like it was the calm before the storm. She shook off her nerves, glancing one last time at the empty doorway before reluctantly turning back to finish packing up her things for the day.
She shivered as goosebumps ran down her spine.
Be safe, Chris.
Shivering under the night sky, Les waited for his eyes to adjust to the pale moonlight that was the only illumination penetrating the heavy darkness of the night. The group of six Resistance fighters were huddled underneath a row of hedges on the perimeter of the campus.
:Looks like they're about to switch shifts. Tell the others to get ready.: Chris 'said' curtly at Les. Les grimaced, not commenting on the irritation that came through Chris' thoughts loud and clear. His friend had not been in the best of moods when they had met up with Duncan and his team to carry out the recon mission. No doubt the rather lengthy and tedious Council meeting he had attended earlier in the day had influenced Chris' mood. Sighing silently to himself, Les passed on Chris' message to the others. The advantage of having a telepath on every mission made silent communication a standard. Nodding his acknowledgement, Les mindsent to the rest of the team to get ready to run.
The library was guarded by ten demons on the rooftop, making it virtually impossible for anyone to sneak in without their notice. Luckily, one of the shift changes occurred during the night, giving the Resistance fighters the break they needed to hopefully approach the building under the cover of darkness.
The tension in Chris' stomach was almost enough to make him want to kneel over and heave; his neck and shoulders were tight with anxiety as he continued to monitor the demons from his vantage point. If they knew we were here, they would have attacked us by now. So why am I scared shitless?
:You okay, Chris: Les' mind voice asked calmly, obviously picking up on Chris' anxiety. Chris could tell by the tone of Les' voice that his thoughts were directed solely at him.
Grimacing, Chris thought back, :I'll be glad when this is over.:
:You and me both, kiddo:
A commotion from the building top drew his attention away from his friend. Glancing up, Chris could see the two demons facing towards them turn around to greet the next pair ready to relieve them. Gesturing with his hand silently, Chris began a dead run towards the building, as fast as he could maneuver while crouched over at the waist. Behind him, he could hear the light tread of his friends following as silently as they could. It seemed like it took forever to reach the side of building, when in reality it likely took less than ten minutes to run across the clearing. Reaching the side of the library, Chris flattened himself against the wall, praying that luck was still on their side.
Hidden in the shadows, each fighter flattened himself against the wall as much as possible. Chris risked a glance upwards. The growling of the demons could still be heard, indicating that they had yet to complete the changeover. Holding his breath, he listened carefully as the growling became less distinct as the conversation obviously drew to a close. Ice crawled up his spine, and his stomach was one huge knot of fear and nausea as he continued to look upwards. Eventually, two demons appeared in view, looking westwards but thankfully not downwards.
Chris nodded at Les who then silently signalled two of the scouts to immediately begin to edge up against the window they were currently positioned beneath. One of the scouts cautiously peered into the window, giving the all clear. Together, she and another scout cautiously edged the window glass upwards, propping the window open in place with a piece of wood. Duncan quickly dropped to his knees, giving her a quick boost up and she was up and over the windowsill. The others followed swiftly, with Les reaching back over the window from the other side to pull Duncan in last.
The room they had entered was one of many that made up the building's past life as a library. The room housed the collection of one of the major donors to the library. While some of the maps that Chris wanted were located here, the ones that provided the subterranean maps of the Bay area were located in another room. Unfortunately, according to the memories of former Berkley students, the room with the subterranean maps they wanted was located on the other side of the building. Chris jerked his head towards the door and motioned for Les and Duncan to follow him. In accordance with the plan, the other three members of the scout team began to rummage through the materials in the current room; searching for anything that could be of use and guarding their way back out.
Slowly opening the door, Chris stuck his head around to peep into the hallway. Still unsure whether there were any demons actually inside the building, Chris cautiously stepped into the hallway, holding his breath. When no demons jumped them, Chris slowly let out his breath silently and began to move forward slowly, with Les and Duncan right behind him.
They crept along the dusty passages, moving quietly. Chris could almost feel the fear begin to start cramping his stomach. He grimaced and forced himself to take slow, deep breaths. He wasn't even twenty yet and he was sure he could feel an ulcer developing. He felt his nose twitch and quickly covered his nostrils with his sleeve. Glancing down, the pale light from the moon revealed the dusty floors of the library. Chris felt some of the tension leave his shoulders; the dust meant that no one had walked in this hallway for a long time and was unlikely to, if their luck held.
Like a maze, Chris moved through the hallways, relying on his memory from the campus tour he had taken over a year ago. Unfortunately, all the campus maps that they had available to plan the mission were a layout of the campus grounds. There were no plans for the layout of building interiors. Another reason why Chris had felt compelled to lead the mission. Turning the corner again, his pace quickened as they neared their target.
Twenty steps left.
Fifteen….
Ten…
Ascream rang out, echoing off the empty hallway.
:What the hell was that: Les asked in alarm.
A second scream rang out again before it was abruptly cut short.
:Is it one of ours: Duncan asked, anxiously.
Les shook his head. :Nah – I'm in touch with our guys. They're sitting tight.:
:You and Duncan stick to the plan. The maps we want are in the room ahead. I'll check out the commotion.: Chris indicated with a jerk of his head.
:I don't like this, Chris: Les thought, doubtfully. :I think we ALL should stick to the plan. It's not our business if it isn't one of us. This mission is risky enough as it is. We don't need to go looking for trouble too.:
:Who's in charge here: Chris glared at Les. :Just do what I say for once, for crissakes. Get the goddamn maps and then pick up the others and meet me at the rendezvous point. Got it:
Acknowledging Chris' irritation and slightly shocked by Chris' language, Les didn't dare push the matter any further. Nodding slightly, he gestured to Duncan to follow him. He sent a final mindsent to Chris, :Fine. But stay in contact with me, okay:
Nodding curtly his assent, Chris moved away from his two friends, jogging silently back down the hall and turning the corner. Moving stealthily, he headed in the direction to where he thought he had heard the screams come from. Come on, come on…Chris thought…where the hell are you?
"Hit me, you stupid cow," Bianca spat at the demon, after letting out an earsplitting scream.
"What?" The demon looked at her askance, "My lord Zankou said I was to guard you until the humans came to rescue you."
Bianca rolled her eyes, "We want this to look real, remember? Now hit me you pathetic fool."
"I'm not sure," the demon replied, doubtfully. "If Zankou didn't say anything to me about it, I don't want to do anything that could get me in trouble. Do you know what Zankou did to the last demon that disobeyed his orders?"
"You freaking coward," Bianca taunted. "Are you a demon or a pathetic idiot?" Moving forward swiftly, she drove her fist into the demon's stomach as hard as she could. "Now hit me!"
The demon doubled over upon impact, surprised by the viciousness of the attack. Snarling, he backhanded the witch making her fly across the room as she let out another piercing scream. Her scream abruptly ended as she hit the wall and landed awkwardly with a thump on the floor. Breathing hard, she slowly pushed herself up on all fours. She blinked away the stars in her eyes, focusing on the red dot on the white linoleum floor. As the dot began to grow, she quickly realized that the dot was caused from blood dripping from a cut in her mouth where her teeth had gnashed the side of her mouth. Spitting out the blood forming in her mouth, she looked up at the demon who was still eyeing her angrily. She sneered at the demon, "That all you got, cow?"
With a roar, the demon picked her up with both hands slamming her into the wall. Using one arm to pin her against the wall, the demon slowly drew his fist back. "You won't be so cocky when I finish with you." He slammed his fist into her face so forcefully her head was knocked backwards against the wall.
She must have blacked out because the next thing she knew, the grip around her throat was suddenly released, and she dropped to the floor like a stone. Her head pounding she could hear the sounds of a scuffle. Blinking, she tried to get the room to stop spinning to no avail. A loud crack, like the sound of glass breaking and then scent of scorched smoke teased her nostrils. A shadowy figure dropped down next to her and she lifted her hand futilely to ward it off. Her hand was caught in a gentle grip before a soft voice said, "You're going to be okay. I've got you. Can you get up?"
With the help of the shadowy figure, Bianca stumbled to her feet. Wincing, she confessed, "I don't think I can see too well right now."
"Not too worry," the voice of a young man soothed in her ear. "I'll be your eyes, okay? But we've got to get out of here…right now."
Knowing that she was playing a part and that everything depended on her rescuer on buying her act, she asked suspiciously, "Who are you? What are you doing here?"
A slight pause, and then, hesitantly, "Let's just say a friend, for now. Explanations can wait. Look – I just saved your life. I think it's pretty clear that I'm not here to hurt you."
The mildness of that voice, the slight chiding quality like a parent chastening a child, made her feel safe. Inwardly recoiling at her involuntary emotional response, she told herself that she was merely feeling vulnerable after her mother's death. Focusing herself, she shoved her unsettling feelings aside, merely replying, "All right. What about the demon though?"
"Him?" Chris eyed the scorched mark on the tiled floor. "You won't have to worry about him ever again, I promise. Can you stand?"
Wincing, Bianca got to her feet with the assistance of her mysterious rescuer. I may have over did it when I made that demon mad, she thought ruefully. She did not have to do any pretending about her aches and pains. The frigging demon certainly did his job, she grimaced to herself as she gripped her side as a white hot flash of pain shot through her.
"You okay?" Chris asked anxiously as he saw the woman wince. He judged her to be around his age, though slightly older. It was hard to tell given that the whole right side of her face was swollen from the beating he had interrupted. There was a long but shallow cut across her forehead, the blood dripping into her left eye – another source of her sight problem. Ripping off a piece of his sleeve, Chris tenderly pressed the cloth against her forehead. "Here, hold that. Look, we really need to get a move on."
"Yeow!" Bianca yelped at the soft touch, the cut on her forehead a definite sore spot. She rubbed at her eyes in hopes that her vision would clear. "I'm not sure I can walk anywhere." Her hands came away with dried caked blood and she blinked furiously to clear her eyes. She narrowed her eyes at the young man who was currently supporting her with one arm. She could make out the shape of his head, but his features were still blurry to her. She only hoped that her vision wasn't permanently affected.
:Chris, I'm back with the team at the rendezvous point…where the hell are you? Whatever you did must have set off an alarm…the demons on the roof just doubled.:
Chris winced at the strength of Les' 'thought'. :I'm on my way. And I'm bringing a friend. I'm going to orb us straight out of here.: Tightening his grip around the woman, encouraging her to lean on him, Chris could hear the sounds of pounding feet thundering towards them. With a final glance at the door, it slammed open and three demons burst into the room as Chris orbed the both of them away just in time.
The demons snarled. They were too late.
The quarry was gone.
Les looked up worriedly as the blue orbs began to materialize. "It's about time!"
"Good to see you too," Chris replied a little sarcastically. "Did you get the maps?"
Holding aloft the long cylindrical tube, Les nodded. "I already sent the others ahead. Let's move, before we run into more trouble. Who's your friend? She doesn't look so hot."
"Well you wouldn't look so 'hot' either if you just had your head bashed in by some demon," the woman, who was leaning heavily on Chris, bit out angrily before Chris could provide a response. Her vision still blurry, she turned her head towards the direction of another inky blob to her right. "Next time you go three rounds with a demon I'd like to see how you look."
:Fiesty: Les winked at Chris. Out loud he said, "Let me give you a hand there…we've got quite a bit a ways to go before we get back." Grabbing her other arm, he looped it over his head so that between Chris and himself they supported the injured woman.
Resisting the urge to plant her fist into this new comer's face, Bianca swallowed her irritation as she reminded herself of her mission. Instead she gritted her teeth, "I'd crawl on my hands and knees on broken glass to get away from this benighted place."
She could hear the smile in the voice of her 'knight in shining armor', "I don't think it will come to that." She almost took offense at the gentle mocking, but found she couldn't begrudge him the mild humour at her expense. Against her better judgment, she could feel the corners of her mouth creep upwards.
"That's more like it," Les grinned. "I was beginning to worry that I'd have to entertain myself all the way back. Your rescuer isn't big on conversation you know."
"Only because I know you like the sound of your own voice too much," Chris retorted, good-naturedly. "And he's right. If you don't start talking with him, he'll start talking just to hear himself speak."
"Hey! I don't have to stay here and be insulted," Les protested.
"No, you could double back and make sure we aren't being followed," Chris pointed out, evenly.
"You really think the demons could be following us?" Bianca piped in, pretending to be worried, deciding it was time to interject herself a little bit more into the conversation. After all, she was on a mission – she needed them to trust her.
Misinterpreting the furtive glance she threw over her shoulder as fear, Les was quick to reassure her, "Not to worry, lovely lady. I'll just double back and make sure we're alone." Nodding at Chris over her head, Les unhooked Bianca's arm from around his head. "You going to be able to continue on your own for a bit?"
"I'm not an invalid," Bianca protested unconvincingly as she stumbled. Chris adjusted his grip, jerking his head in Les' direction, clearly indicating that the telepath should get moving.
"Noooooo, you're certainly not an invalid. Drunk, maybe. But definitely not an invalid," Les said with a straight face. "Don't go too far. I'll be right back."
Bianca gritted her teeth again, tempted to knee the irritating man where it counted. She shivered as she felt a warmth breath on her ear, "Don't worry. Sometimes I feel exactly the same way."
"I don't know what you mean," Bianca replied coolly.
"Sure you don't, princess," Chris replied, amused by her haughtiness. He had never met anyone quite like her. Here she had been attacked by a vicious demon and instead of freaking out, she acted like she was about to sit down for a cup of tea with the queen. "If you lean on me I think you'll find you'll be able to walk."
"Fine," Bianca replied, her tone grating. She was NOT amused by the princess comment. "Mind filling me in on what the hell is going on?"
She felt her 'rescuer' shrug as they hobbled along together down the tunnel. "We were checking out some materials from the library when I heard you scream. We decided I should investigate."
"You were checking out materials from the library?" Bianca sneered sarcastically. "Yeah, right."
"How about you?" Chris questioned. "Why were you there? And why was that demon…" Chris paused as he searched for a way to phrase her attack delicately so as not to alarm her.
"Kicking the shit out of me?" Bianca finished his phrase. She shrugged. "I'm a witch, he's a demon."
"A witch?" Chris inquired. "What kind of powers do you have?" He looked down at the young woman who was stumbling beside him as she shook her head regretfully.
"I can cast warding spells but that's about it. I was minding my own business when I was attacked by one of those probe things. The next thing I knew, I was in that room with a demon telling me I had to join 'lord Wyatt' or else." Bianca smoothly recited the agreed upon story. "And then you showed up. So you going to tell me where we're going or what?"
"We're going back to base," Chris responded, digesting Bianca's story. "We're almost there…just a little bit longer. How are you holding up?"
"Fine," Bianca said, a little dismissively. "Base, what base?"
"I thought Wyatt had already eliminated all the witches we weren't able to save," Chris mused, aloud. "How is it that you're still alive?"
"I have no idea," Bianca replied harshly, not wanting to be caught in her hastily woven web of lies. "It's not like I stopped to ask. So are you going to tell me where we're going or what?"
"The Resistance. You'll be safe there," Chris reassured her.
"I've heard of them. I thought they were some two bit operation," Bianca probed, none too gently.
"Hey! It's a first class operation, let me tell you," Les interjected, as he suddenly appeared on Bianca's right. A nod to Chris and :Everything's a okay. No sign of any demons behind us. Duncan says it's clear skies ahead too.: Bending his head towards Bianca's, Les said proudly, "See for yourself."
They had caught up with the other members of the scout team, who were now all standing in front of what looked liked a collapsed section of the tunnel. Using her one good eye which wasn't swollen shut, Bianca could make out the blurry edges of the dead end. "I don't get it."
"It's an illusion," Les explained, proudly. "One of our witches cast this spell to make it look like a collapsed section of the tunnel. The magic of illusion keeps demons from stumbling across it."
"Les," Chris said, warningly. "Go open the door."
As the group stepped through the illusion, Bianca gasped as she saw what lay on the 'other' side of the debris. In front of her lay a huge steel door, much like one found on a bank vault; in fact, it had been, before it had been dragged here to serve as the first line of defense to the base. Les placed his palms against the door, and the slow, grating noise of metal on metal could be heard as the magical locking system recognized him. Within seconds the door swung open and the scout group stepped foot into the base.
Assisted by her rescuer Bianca painfully limped over the metal ledge of the doorway, feeling slightly panicked as the door immediately swung shut behind them with a loud bang.
Chris glanced down at the young woman at his side, seeing the fear flit across her face. "Hey, you okay?"
Acknowledging that she was beyond the point of no return, she nodded her head. Wide-eyed, she gaped in amazement at the scene before her. The base was an enormous underground structure of steel and reinforced concrete – a former underground shopping concourse. Everywhere she looked, people were bustling with activity. Already the rest of the small group of Resistance fighters that she had accompanied had been absorbed into the crowds, leaving her alone with the two young men at her side. As she shook her head in silent wonderment, she quickly realized how foolish she, her mother and others like them in Wyatt's stronghold had been to so quickly dismiss the Resistance's efforts as insignificant. It quickly dawned on Bianca by the sheer number of people housed here that the Resistance wasn't some fly-by-night rebellion. This was a serious endeavour and her side had been seriously arrogant in thinking that the Resistance had succeeded in resisting Wyatt's efforts mainly through fortune so far.
"Gets them all like that the first time," Les grinned at Bianca's astonishment. "We've succeeded in keeping a low profile so far by flying under the demons' radar, but we're a top notch outfit."
Chris rolled his eyes, "Save the propaganda for now, will you? I think we should see our guest to the infirmary first." Glancing down at the young woman who appeared slightly shell-shocked, "Come on, let's get you fixed up, okay?"
Startled out of her reverie by the slight prodding, Bianca quickly agreed. There would be time later to fully scope out the Resistance and it's base. First she needed to get her wounds treated before they became infected and hampered her ability to move freely. Then she would do some covert spying to get an idea of the strength of the Resistance. And then…
Les' voice interrupted her thoughts, "Don't you need to get back to command central?" She watched as he jerked his head to the right, clearly directing his question to his friend. Her ears pricked up in interest - obviously her rescuer was someone important. Bianca squinted, trying uselessly to get the blurry edges of his image to snap into focus.
Chris shook his head, "Let's see our guest off first, okay?"
Shrugging his shoulders, Les quickly looped his arm under the woman's shoulder and between the two men, the three quickly moved forward. She tried to maintain her bearings but dizzy with pain, Bianca quickly lost track of the number of twist and turns the three took in the complex maze of hallways. She did notice as they made what felt like the umpteenth turnoff that the corridors were becoming less and less crowded. Clearly, wherever they were heading, the general public seemed to be restricted from access.
Finally, they entered a small hallway where the waft of antiseptic solutions floated to her nostrils. Narrowing her eyes, she could make out the blinding white light bouncing off the gleaming white walls and tiles. The hall opened up into a larger room and along one side of the wall was a row of chairs with an assorted number of people in varying states of health. Some were coughing, others sneezing and some even sleeping! There were a couple of children with some of the adults, their heads cuddled on their parent's lap. She averted her eyes from the sight of this innocence, instead focusing on the woman to her right who was talking to her rescuers.
"…head right on in, then," the woman was finishing as she nodded at Bianca. Dressed in white robes, her face had a pinched expression as she glanced down at her clipboard. "Room 580. I just need a name, dear."
"Bianca."
The woman nodded briskly and wrote it down on her little clipboard, "Last name."
Eyes flashing, Bianca replied, guardedly, "It's just Bianca."
Before an argument could ensue, Chris quickly cut the other woman off, "Look, why don't you finish that after the whitelighter gets a look at her, okay? I want to talk to you about who else has been in today in the meantime." Sighing impatiently, the woman grimaced her acceptance.
Chris glanced over Bianca's head, meeting Les' eyes, "Can you take her in? I just want to check who else has been brought in."
Nodding his head, Les reassured his friend, "Not too worry. I'll take care of everything." Tightening his grip on Bianca, he instructed, "Lean on me, okay? It's just a couple of feet down the hall and we can get you all fixed up."
Nodding her assent, she began to hobble down the hall when she stopped abruptly and turned back. "Wait!" she called out to the other man who had helped her. She squinted again, making out brown hair and a lanky frame, "I didn't thank you for helping me back there."
Chris glanced up from the clipboard he had been purveying. "No, you didn't." He arched his eyebrow in question as the young woman continued to squint at him, "Anything else?"
"How about your name, so I can thank you properly?" Bianca replied, a little waspishly.
Chris grinned at her tone, slightly amused at her obvious reluctance at expressing her appreciation. "It's Chris. Chris Halliwell."
She sputtered in surprise. Could this be the leader of the Resistance? But he sounds so young. So…
"Something the matter?"
Bianca shook her head, "It's just…it's just…"
A young woman burst into the hall, her eyes wildly searching before landing on her target, "Chris – we need you in the command central, pronto. Darryl's got a situation."
Nodding at the messenger, Chris handed the clipboard back to the whitelighter on his left, "I'm coming." Turning back to Bianca, he smiled reassuringly at the young woman, much like a parent to a child, "Look, I've got to go, but you'll be okay here. Les will make sure the whitelighters will take good care of you. I'll see you later, okay?"
Seething at his patronizing tone, she would've slugged him if she could. Instead, she could only watch as he quickly turned on his heel without waiting for a response.
She watched as the young man walked away, fingering her pendant.
Les watched the exchange between his friend and their guest. Interesting. Aloud he asked, "You ready to go now?"
Nodding solemnly, she let herself be led away. But inside…inside one thought pounded through her head over and over again.
Bastard.
To be continued….
A/N: I hope I didn't mislead you all too much with my comment last time of 'love at first sight.' As you can see, this story isn't intended to be a quick 'let's get together', happy, fluffy romance story. Chris and Bianca WILL end up together (after all, this is the prequel to season 6 as well as 'No Fate' when you think about it) but this story is kind of the journey of how they get there.
